Willow Primary Academy

Willow Primary Academy is performing well overall, with a good quality of education and strong support from the leadership team. The school promotes a caring and inclusive atmosphere, helping pupils settle quickly and learn effectively. The dedicated headteacher and staff have fostered a collaborative environment aimed at maximizing each pupil's potential, which is evident in the high priority given to the phonics curriculum. Parents express confidence in the school's leadership, highlighting its strong community ties and positive reputation. This is the school's first inspection since converting to an academy and they have shown notable ambition despite past challenges with pupil outcomes in key stage 2, which do not reflect the quality of education currently being provided.

Strengths

• Caring and inclusive school environment
• Strong leadership and teamwork among staff
• High priority placed on reading and phonics education
• Ambitious curriculum supporting knowledge building
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities

Areas for Improvement

• Gaps in writing knowledge and skills in key stage 2
• Inconsistent use of assessment in some subjects

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Willow Primary Academy attended 91.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 27.1% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 5.2% of pupils at Willow Primary Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). 2 pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Willow Primary Academy had 15.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 20.6% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 26.1% of pupils at Willow Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 21.8% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Willow Primary Academy received £10,698 and spent £13,340 for each of its 213 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £718,000 (-£3,370 per pupil).

Across all 8 schools of Sand Academies Trust, income was £17,654 and spending £18,975 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Gloucester · Gloucestershire local authority: places and applications

Willow Primary Academy is part of Sand Academies Trust, which runs 8 schools. The nearest others:

• Calton Primary School Gloucester
• Tredworth Infant and Nursery Academy Gloucester
• The Milestone School Gloucester
• Sladewood Academy Stroud
• Belmont School Cheltenham
• Battledown School Cheltenham
• Paternoster School Cirencester

What is Willow Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Willow Primary Academy is Good, from an inspection in March 2024.

When was Willow Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Willow Primary Academy was last inspected in March 2024.

How many pupils does Willow Primary Academy have?

Willow Primary Academy has 211 pupils on roll.

What age range does Willow Primary Academy cover?

Willow Primary Academy for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Willow Primary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 18% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Willow Primary Academy?

Willow Primary Academy is at Evenlode Road, Tuffley, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, GL4 0JY.